After the End
by Satanira
Summary: A Sailor MoonDragon Knights crossover. Rated for later chapters. Full genre description- ActionadventureDramaAngstRomance. FF.net never gives you enough space... No real summary, just read the story, okay?
1. SwordWeilding Boys from Beyond

Just ignore my strange ideas...  
  
This is a Sailor Moon/Dragon Knights crossover. Dragon Knights, for those of you that haven't heard of it, is my favoritest manga in the whole wide world.  
  
It's kind of post-apocalyptic, one of those hopeless-seeming stories where everything turns out all right if you can ignore the dead peoples. I suck at writing action... [sighs]  
  
Like I said, ignore the strange ideas and read the damned story.  
  
There had been others, a long time ago. She still remembered them vaguely, like a hazy dream. She remembered the time before the darkness, before the hopelessness, before defeat. And that was all there was; just herself, suffering defeat after painful defeat.  
  
She hated this endless round of battles. Every time she lost to those terrible masked figures, more people died. The stronghold was shrinking, and only Tokyo remained free of the dark. She tried to protect those few people left with her. But it was too hard to fight alone day after day. It was too painful to return to her safe haven and cry herself to sleep every night.  
  
Some nights she dreamed of the others, of those hazy memories she had of them. There was a school, an arcade, a house with a family inside, a temple. There was one with long, dark hair, two with long blond hair, and one with hair that might have been brown. One of the blonds was clearest; she remembered her as a princess, someone she had to protect at all costs. Meaning she had failed. She seemed destined to loose forever but never die.  
  
Until they came.  
  
"Why do you insist on fighting us?" The cloaked, hooded, and masked woman before her asked. "Spare yourself the pain, Mercury. Surrender and join us."  
  
The offer was very tempting; she could forget the people that blamed her each evening for not saving their friends and family, leave behind her pain and the endless battling. One thing kept her from even considering it, however: the sight of Serenity-hime being used by this figure's master, then tossed aside like a broken, bleeding ragdoll to die on the cold ground as if she were nothing.  
  
"Your fire is misguided, Senshi of Water." The figure continued as they always did, tossing a fireball at her here and there just to make her jump. "You still insist on making it hard for everyone involved. Stop getting in the way and messing it up. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have to keep killing people as examples. If you hadn't run away back then like a little coward and left your friends to die, most of those pitiful humans would still be alive." The woman summoned her bow and called an arrow made of black fire to rest on the strings. "Die now and save everyone some pain."  
  
She couldn't move. She couldn't get out of the way in time. No matter what, the arrow speeding towards her would hit, and she would die, leaving humanity completely unprotected. She closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate, praying that the figure spoke the truth, and no more would die.  
  
But the arrow never hit. She waited what seemed an eternity, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes slowly to find herself staring at the back of a man in some kind of armor.  
  
"What the hell kind of hero are you?" He asked. "You could have at least tried to get out of the way."  
  
"W-who are you?" Was all she could think to say.  
  
"Intro later." He said. "Work now." Then he switched his focus, gesturing his sword angrily at the figure. "Hey, you! Yeah, you in the freaky mask! I don't like people who pick on women, even if they're women themselves! What the hell is wrong with you, huh? You want me to kill you right here and now?"  
  
"You can try, boy." The figure laughed, readying another arrow and shooting it at him.  
  
"You're going after the Knight of Fire with a measly little arrow?" He asked contemptuously. He caught the arrow with his bare hand an inch from his unprotected neck and smiled. "Quite a lot of energy packed into this little thing. Thanks." Tendrils of dark red fire licked around his fist, creeping along the arrow until it was completely covered. Then it vanished, arrow and all.  
  
"Who are you, boy?" The cloaked figure demanded, sounding scared at last. "How could you absorb that arrow? No creature of Light should be able to touch it and live!"  
  
"Then it's a damn good thing I'm a demon, huh?" He said, still smiling. "Now, Rune!"  
  
Another man sprang from behind a pile of rubble, this one with long blond hair and a small blue creature hovering near his shoulder, and threw himself at the figure, bringing his sword down on her mask, which cracked in half under the attack.  
  
She fell backward from the force of the blow, the halves of her mask falling to the ground with her. The second man- Rune- stood over her, sword ready if she tried anything.  
  
"What the hell was that?!" The first man demanded angrily. "She's the bad guy here, Rune! Why the hell did you go for the most protected area? Why not cut her in half or something? The worst you did was give her a really bad headache!"  
  
"Rath," Rune said quietly, "shut up. She was being controlled. Without the mask, she's one of the good guys. Her fire will burn as red as yours now." Rune grounded his sword and walked the rest of the way to the woman, who scrambled back. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. We're not enemies anymore."  
  
"P-promise?" The woman asked, her voice trembling like a five-year- old who'd just been spanked.  
  
"Promise." Rune said, and she stopped moving away. He knelt next to her and removed her hood, letting loose a waterfall of raven black hair. He fumbled a little over the cloak, but finally got it loose. It fell away to reveal a very familiar outfit. It looked exactly like Mercury's except where hers was blue, this one was red, and instead of boots, she wore simple high-heeled pumps.  
  
"Mars!" Mercury exclaimed, abandoning caution to throw herself at the dark-haired woman of her memories and dreams.  
  
"M-mercury?" Mars asked uncertainly, hesitantly wrapping her arms around the frail blue-haired woman. "W-what happened? Are you okay? We thought you were dead, like S-s-ser-ren..."  
  
"It's okay, Mars." Mercury said reassuringly into Mars's hair. "You and I are safe now. That's all that matters."  
  
But Mars pushed Mercury away savagely, tears streaming down her cheeks. "How can you say that? How can you hug me? How can you still love me after what I've done to you? After I betrayed you, our duty, and S- serenity-h-hime?"  
  
"Because you didn't." Mercury said simply. "Because we're more than just friends. Because you were under that bastard's control when you betrayed your duty. Because you never betrayed Serenity-hime."  
  
"Whoa!" Rath yelled suddenly, waving his arms to call attention to himself. "Stop right there! Are we talking THE Serenity-hime? The princess of the Moon Kingdom and the Queen of the Crystal Millennium?"  
  
"Yes." Mercury said, blinking in surprise. "Why?"  
  
"Because the whole reason we came to this place was to save her! Dammit! Can't anybody do anything right? How are we supposed to save her if she's dead?"  
  
"The Ginzuishou!" Mars exclaimed. "Mercury, please tell me you gathered the shards of the Ginzuishou after he took the rest of us!"  
  
"Of course I did." Mercury said. "But it's missing a few shards."  
  
"And her body? Did you save that as well?"  
  
"Yes. But it's useless without those shards."  
  
"There are six missing shards." Mars said calmly. "He took them after you left and gave one to each of us, to make us more powerful! If we can free the others, then we'll have the whole Ginzuishou!"  
  
"And we can bring Serenity-hime back!"  
  
"What the hell are you two babbling about over there?" Rath demanded, irritated beyond description. "What's this Ginzu-whatever, and how can it bring someone back from the dead?"  
  
"Ginzuishou. The Silver Crystal. The source of Serenity-hime's power." Mars explained. "It can do anything."  
  
"'And from the Goddess's tear was born a Crystal with the power to shape and change the world,'" Rune quoted quietly, his sword and armor dissolving. "'And the Goddess held in her hand the remedy of death, the source of all light, and the power of all wishes.' Scriptures of a Silver Moon pass ten, verse twenty-three."  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Rath said, his own armor and weapon disappearing. "How can she be our Goddess if she's dead? Deities can't die."  
  
"Well, this one did." Rune said matter-of-factly. "It would appear that we were sent to this place and time to free these girls and help them revive the Goddess."  
  
"And just who are you two, anyway?" Mercury asked, devolving into Ami. "How did you get here?"  
  
"Oh, that's right! I'm Rath, the Dragon Knight of Fire, that's Rune, the Dragon Knight of Water, and that really hot chick with the staff and miniskirt brought us here. I guess she's a smart as she is gorgeous..." Rath trailed off, daydreaming and drooling slightly.  
  
Rune sighed heavily, shaking his head at his partner. "Let's get going. Do you have some sort of safe ha- Hey, your clothes changed!"  
  
"We aren't Senshi all the time." Mars said, turning back into Rei. "But you do have a safe haven, don't you?" She seconded, glancing at Ami.  
  
"Of course I do." Ami said. "If Rune would grab that slobbering fool who's fantasizing about Pluto and earning a solid whack from the Time Staff over there, we can get going before someone else shows up."  
  
Her long blond hair spilling over her shoulders, Hate knelt trembling before her master, grateful that her mask hid her fear from him, though she was forbidden to approach him with her hood up.  
  
"How could you allow this to happen?" He demanded angrily, and her whole body shook for an instant. "How could you allow that sniveling bitch to turn Fire?"  
  
"I-it was not Mercury who turned her." Hate explained, wincing at the tremor in her voice. "Two strange men in armor broke her mask and reverted her."  
  
"And where did these men come from?" He asked, his voice too calm. "You expect me to believe that there are warriors that strong here and they didn't challenge us before?"  
  
"They s-said that Pluto brought them here from another world." Hate added quickly, not wanting to be punished too severely.  
  
"Pluto, eh?" His voice became thoughtful, and Hate almost sighed with relief. "That time-hopping witch has meddled too much this time. Send Thunder and Sky to deal with Pluto. You deal with our traitor. Take Death."  
  
"Death, Lord?" Hate repeated, her head coming up to stare at him. "Surely these nuisances don't warrant Death's involvement!"  
  
"I said to take Death! Do as I say, or feel the pain of disobedience!"  
  
"Yes, Lord. Forgive me for my outburst. It was out of line."  
  
"Better. Go."  
  
Hate stood immediately and all but ran out of the dark room, feeling unbelievably lucky that she was still alive.  
  
"My temple?" Rei remarked upon seeing Ami's chosen stronghold. "Quite an unusual choice if you ask me."  
  
"It's holy, though." Ami said. "I have a room to myself, in the shrine, but the temple itself is the new home of dozens of survivors. You and the others couldn't seem to get near it once he'd turned you."  
  
"A wise choice." Rune agreed. "I hope we will not impose too much during our stay."  
  
"You two are strong." Ami said, smiling. "Two more defenders of home are always welcome and never a burden."  
  
A small child suddenly burst out from behind a stack of downed trees, an ill-made sword pointed at the four.  
  
"Hello, Tidus." Ami said tiredly as the boy almost dropped his sword. "Go tell the others that I'm back, and I've brought help."  
  
"Okay!" Tidus said happily, turning and running towards the temple and the large group of people in front of it.  
  
"Miss Ami, are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" Rune asked for about the fifth time in the last minute. "You're severely wounded. You shouldn't be walking."  
  
"I told you, Rune-san. I'm fine." Ami said, her voice tinged with exasperation. "We're almost there; I can make it up this hill with a little help. And for the love of Kami, don't tell them that Rei was the enemy, okay? Let's say she was captured or something."  
  
"Okay." Rath said, scanning what was left of the beautiful cherry orchard that had once surrounded the temple. "We know all about war and the like. You don't have to tell us twice."  
  
"See?" Tidus shouted when the group reached the temple itself. "I told you she brought help! I told you she found someone to fight for us!"  
  
The adults looked wearily to the four warriors as the younger children flocked around them, demanding names and proof that they were really magic heroes.  
  
"Everybody shut up!" Rath yelled over the rising babble, calling everyone's attention to him. "Ami's wounded, and I won't tolerate any questions or demands until after she's been taken care of, am I understood?"  
  
Complete silence met his statement, and he nodded once before picking Ami up against her protests and carrying her into the temple.  
  
"Rune!" He called sharply. "Get in here now! You can't heal her if you're out there and she's in here! Rei, keep those civilians out of here!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" Rei called, laughing as she shooed Rune inside and firmly closed the door behind him.  
  
Rath stared at the gaunt faces around him, watching the firelight make shadows dance across eyes full of newfound hope and old fear. Ami sat to his left, Rune to his right, and Rei to Rune's right, keeping the hordes of curious children away from them.  
  
"I mean no offense," One of the men was saying, his voice full of doubt, "but how can we trust them? Where were they when the attacks started and we really needed them? When the queen died?"  
  
"We were in our own world, sir." Rune said politely. "It wasn't until a woman by the name of Sailor Pluto came to our king that we were even aware of the situation here."  
  
"Sailor Pluto?" Someone spoke up from across the fire. "I ain't never hear a no Sailor Pluto!"  
  
"That's because Sailor Pluto is forbidden under pain of death to leave her post at the Gates. She's stayed there for thousands of years, making sure nothing comes through the gates from another time or dimension." Rei explained. "She brought us the help she could not provide herself."  
  
"And what about the other Senshi? Will they be coming back, too?"  
  
"Our main objective at the moment is to find them." Rath said. "After that, we'll find a way to bring back Serenity-hime and defeat this enemy. Then we'll hopefully be able to go back to our own world."  
  
"Well, this is fun." Rath said sarcastically, shifting a large chunk of concrete out of his way. "I wish one of those girls would show up so we can fight already."  
  
"You're a very bloodthirsty man, aren't you?" Rei said, following him with a large sack of food.  
  
"Of course. All men born to war are bloodthirsty." He said. "Your men are a bunch of weak cowards. They can't even protect themselves from their own home. It really sickens me how crippled this place is."  
  
"I'm so sorry you disapprove, Master." Rei said, stumbling a little over a loose rock. "Please, allow me to change the world to your liking."  
  
"Careful there, girly." Rath said, smiling. "I just might take you up on that."  
  
"I hate you." She said, glaring at him as she shifted her load, her frown deepening as she glowered at the bag he was carrying.  
  
"Why? Because I'm stronger, smarter, and better-looking than you?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"What's this, Fire?" A voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once asked, laughing cruelly. "Found yourself a lesser master to roll over for already?"  
  
Two black-cloaked and hooded figures appeared in their path. The taller of the two had a white mask with dark orange flames climbing up the left side, and carrying a long, thin black chain; the shorter had a purple mask with angry black slashes running from above the right eye to below the left one, loosely holding a black scythe that towered over her small form.  
  
Rei took an involuntary step backwards, dropping her burden.  
  
"Which ones are these two?" Rath asked, also tossing his load aside and summoning his sword and armor.  
  
"Hate and Death, once known as Venus and Saturn." She explained, pulling out her henshin wand. "Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!" She shouted, transforming. "Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
Hate watched impassively as the arrow of fire sailed unerringly towards Death, who almost contemptuously batted it aside with her scythe.  
  
"Really now, Mars." Death said quietly, turning her hidden gaze to the two warriors of flame. "You must try harder than that if you want to hurt me."  
  
"Shut up." Super Sailor Mars snapped, glaring at the two black figures.  
  
"Which one's stronger?" Rath asked, looking from girl to girl to girl and back again. "Cause I don't know about you, but all this talk is boring me. I want to fight, and I want to fight now."  
  
"You do not feel very strong, boy." Death said, stepping forward. "Rather, you feel strange. As if you are not human."  
  
"Wow, check out the brains on Shorty!" Rath exclaimed. "As if the pointy ears and fangs weren't a dead giveaway! I think I'm gonna call you Pip- squeak from now on."  
  
"And for the rest of your very short life, I believe I shall refer to you as Smartass." Death said, and Mars could almost hear the soft smile in Death's voice.  
  
"Now that that's over with, let's get down to fighting, shall we?" Rath suggested, swinging his sword into position. "Y'know, before I die of old age?"  
  
"Certainly." Death said, giving a mocking bow before attacking, jumping so she came down just out of range of Rath's blade.  
  
Or rather, what was supposed to be the range of Rath's blade. He'd moved forward enough that rather than attacking when she landed, Death was forced to block a heavy blow at her midsection and move out of her own striking range, only to block again.  
  
Mars, meanwhile, had engaged Hate in a vicious battle of magic rather than blades. Arrows of fire and blasts of dark energy sizzled through the air, sometimes finding marks, sometimes not. Hate used her chain with masterful skill, snapping it across the space between what had once been the best of friends, tearing deep gashes in Mars's arms, legs, torso, and face, distracting the red-clad warrior for the needed moment to launch another sphere.  
  
Mars, to her credit, managed to nick Hate's mask twice, cracking only the surface each time. She'd also managed to tear the heavy black robe, exposing the bare skin beneath it as a clearer target and a landmark to more vulnerable hits. She was able to forget, at least for now, that she loved her foe as a friend and sister and did not hate her at all. The Senshi of flame fought savagely for the people she'd abandoned and returned to, dodging with a newfound agility and attacking with untapped ferocity.  
  
She tried for the mask once more, packing as much energy as she could into one arrow and firing at Hate's stomach. Under cover of the overt attack, she threw herself at Hate, prepared to rip the mask off her friend by brute force if necessary.  
  
She succeeded, to an extent; the mask slipped off Venus's smooth face at the same time that the slick chain wrapped itself firmly around Mars's neck and began to tighten, even after Venus dropped it.  
  
The blond Senshi of Love fell to her knees, shaking uncontrollably, not even noticing her still dark chain slowly squeezing the life out of Mars not a foot from her.  
  
Death, however, did, and broke off her fight with Rath to gather both her former teammates against her.  
  
"Looks like we'll have to postpone your death, Smartass." She said quietly.  
  
"Like hell we will!" Rath yelled, ramming into Death before she could disappear. She lost her hold on Venus and Mars, who'd only just managed to loosen the chain's death grip on her neck.  
  
"Well, little warrior, you've more fire than I expected." Death said. "You can come home with me, then. The Master yearns for a new toy." Taking Rath's neck in her small but powerful hand, she disappeared, leaving Mars and Venus alone in the rubble.  
  
Death knelt before her master, glad she'd brought at least the upstart boy- warrior back with her. If she hadn't, she was certain she'd be living up to her name in Hell.  
  
"You kept him alive and relatively unharmed at least." Master sighed, securing her life for at least another day. "You may leave us."  
  
With a deep bow, Death rose and left, sighing with silent relief behind her mask.  
  
"So little warrior." Master said, turning his attention to the dark- haired boy trying to pick the locks on his chains. "You think to challenge me outside the bounds of your own world?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that." The boy said without looking up. "I hate chains. Man, I wish Thatz was here. He'd be able to get me out of these things in no time flat. So why the hell am I still alive, anyway? That's a little confusing, you know."  
  
"You amuse me, child." Master said, chuckling quietly. "I have need of amusement, and a servant who will challenge me instead of blindly following me. One can only herd so many sheep before it becomes tiresome."  
  
"What's a sheep? We don't have anything like that in our world. Is it edible? I'm hungry. Why is it that refugees never have any food? People should stockpile stuff like that. You should try it, for when Rune and I turn all those girls and come here to kick your ass. Damn, this is a tough lock."  
  
"You are quite sure of yourself." Master said, loosing some of his amusement. "Vain pride should be replaced with proper humility, boy."  
  
"I don't know who you think you're talking to, buddy, but it sure as hell ain't me. And quit acting like I'm younger than you. I happen to be an immortal demon over here. Even I don't know how old I am. What's your name, anyway?"  
  
"I'm tiring of your arrogance, little one." He said, completely humorless. "Perhaps a night in the dungeons will do you good."  
  
"Hold on a sec." Rath said. After a moment, a tiny red dragon appeared out of nowhere. "There you are, Fire! Go tell Rune I'll be okay for the night, and he shouldn't worry, okay? And you better come right back with some decent food, or I'll eat you as soon as I catch you, got me?"  
  
The dragon nodded vigorously and disappeared again.  
  
"Okay, you can throw me in the dungeons now." He said. "Some me time'll be real good about now. Three days in a crowded shelter can really kill your taste for interaction, let me tell you."  
  
"Take him away." Master said, waving to the guards on either side of the room.  
  
"It's not really all that bad." Rune said, sighing heavily.  
  
"Rune, your comrade's been kidnapped by the enemy!" Ami protested, almost dropping what was left of her dinner. "How can you be so calm about this? Do you really want to face Rath across a battlefield?"  
  
"Don't worry; no one can turn Rath." He said, smiling. "Rath's only loyalty is to himself and what he feels is right. Since he's not on our side but the side that'll get him home, he can't really switch sides, now can he?"  
  
"That's kind of twisted logic, isn't it?" Rei protested. "You don't know what this man is capable of. He turned six of the most loyal people in our universe to serve him right after he killed their queen." She reminded him.  
  
"Rath's probably complaining about the food right now or singing to himself or something equally annoying but harmless."  
  
A tiny red dragon popped into the air above Minako, who shrieked and scrambled backwards. The dragon looked at her strangely before flying over to Rune and handing him a piece of paper it hadn't had a second ago.  
  
"'Master is fine.'" Rune read before taking a second piece of paper from the red dragon. "'Master wants food.' See? I told you he was fine. Fire, tell Rath that if he's not even trying to escape, he'll just have to put up with whatever they decide to give him. We're not going to make this easy for him. Hey!"  
  
"What?" Minako asked, pausing in packing leftovers into a makeshift bag. "The guy saved my life in more ways than one. It's only fair I feed him. Besides, this little thing is so cute!" She exclaimed, hugging Fire. "What harm can it be?"  
  
"Oh... fine. Fire, tell Rath he has our regards and we hope he enjoys his stay. You two have fun, okay?"  
  
Fire nodded, straining under the burden of all the food Minako had given him, and disappeared.  
  
[sigh] My strangeness knows no bounds. I have no idea what I was thinking. Anyone think I should keep this one up, or should I just take it down? I think I'll keep it up, but it's nice to ask what the fans think.  
  
Please review for me, okay? 


	2. Rath Makes His Escape and a Friend

To Patricia16- That's all you ever say. pouts It's impossible to have a good convo with you. Each and every review is almost exactly the same.

To DragonFlame Mistress- Hey! Are you implying my stories turn not-cool after the first few chapters? That's not very nice, you know! You might actually hurt my feelings one of these days.

If that's everyone, let's get a move on!

* * *

"_Virgo_! All Virgos are extremely friendly and intelligent - except for you! Expect a big surprise today when you wind up with your head impaled upon a stick!" Rath sang, smiling to himself at the noises coming from the other side of his cell door. He'd been singing the same song over and over again for the past hour or so, and it was driving his guard slowly insane. "_Libra_! A big promotion is just around the corner for someone much more talented than you! Laughter is the very best medicine, remember that when your appendix bursts next week!"

The guard dropped his gun. He'd finally snapped. There was the sound of keys rattling in the lock, then the door was flung outward, followed almost immediately by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Hard.

"Jeez, you're a softy." Rath muttered, dragging the unconscious guard into his cell and closing the door. "And my singing is not that bad." He added before setting off down the dim hall, stolen gun in hand.

* * *

"Hey, Ami?" Minako asked quietly, tugging on Ami's sleeve.

"Hai?" Ami replied, dropping the bag of linens she'd been carrying with a soft grunt.

"Where did Rune-san and that dark-haired boy Death kidnapped come from?"

"Pluto sent them." Ami replied, which was answer enough for any Senshi.

"And why does Rune-san have pointy ears?" Minako pressed.

"Why don't you ask him?" Ami countered.

"Good idea."

* * *

"Oh, I hate this place." Rath muttered to himself, zipping around another corner barely in time to avoid discovery. "There are too many fiskin' guards. That weird guy must expect mutiny at any minute to have such heavy security. I hope his minions live up to his expectations. Jackass."

"You shouldn't talk to yourself; it makes you look weird." A small voice at Rath's elbow spoke up, making the Knight of Fire jump three feet in the air with a very un-Knightly yelp.

He came down facing a small girl with loads of pink hair cut just below her shoulders and gigantic red eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" He hissed, trying to slow the frantic beating of his heart. "And what the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?"

"Are you going to kidnap me?" The girl asked instead of answering. "Daddy always said that I should be careful if a prisoner ever escaped, because they would try to kidnap me. Are you?"

"If I do, will you be quiet?" Rath asked, only half meaning it, as he waited for yet another patrol to take itself somewhere else.

"Yes." The girl answered solemnly. "And if you don't kidnap me, I'll scream."

"Well… damn it."

* * *

"Do you really have a real dragon?" Rath's newfound traveling companion asked, batting those disconcertingly huge eyes at him.

"Yup. And once we find a good window, you're gonna get to ride him. But remember, you have to be quiet until we're in the air."

"I remember." The girl said, nodding like a bobble-head doll. "Because you're kidnapping me and taking me to your secret stronghold, where there's another dragon, right?"

"Right. Exactly. Here's a good one." With one arm, Rath grabbed the girl around the waist and hoisted them both up on the sill of a large window that some idiot had left open. "Okay, Fire, let's do this."

The dragon nodded and flitted out the window. One short, impressive flame show later, and a full-sized dragon awaited them, hovering impossibly close to the wall as they climbed on.

"Should I scream now?" The girl asked, and Rath couldn't help but wonder just how bored she was, to be so excited about being kidnapped.

"Hold on just a little; I'll tell you when it's time." Once the Knight of Fire was certain they were out of arrow-shot, and that they had a clear escape route, he grinned. "Okay, kiddo, scream to your heart's content."

She obliging did just that.

* * *

By the time they reached the base camp, Rath found the pink-haired kid growing on him. He usually wasn't much for small fries as friends, but she was pretty cool, probably because she was pretty desperate for a friend. Kids of evil overlords could get that way.

"If you've got two partners, how come only one came with you?" The little girl asked, as if they were discussing something of serious, earth-shattering importance.

"Someone had to stay home and watch the fort, so to speak. If we all just up and left, Yokai would overrun Draqueen." Rath explained. "Set down a little ways out, Fire, or we might toast Rei's precious trees again."

"Okay," She said, craning her neck from side to side in an effort to take in everything before they landed. "Is Rune's dragon made of fire, too?"

"Nah, Rune's got Water. Sissy elf never lets the poor guy have any fun, either."

"I thought elves were s'possed to do nothing but have fun."

"Not this elf." Rath laughed as Fire landed smoothly. "I bet Rune doesn't even know what fun is."

In truly comical fashion, a flying bucket assisted Rath in a speedy – not to mention painful – dismount.

"Dammit, Rune, what was that for?" Rath demanded, sitting up and rubbing his head where the bucket had connected.

"You're late!" Rune yelled, his pointy elven ears flat against his skull and his fangs showing.

"My escape was as unscheduled as my capture, and you know it!" Rath protested. "I had to seize the first viable opportunity, not run away just whenever!"

"You were dallying, and you know it!" Rune shot back. "What did you do, find a nest of demons and take all day killing them?"

"I wish." Rath snorted. "What I _did_ do is get us a hostage, so stop yelling at me, or I'll take her back."

While Rune was still sputtering, Rath turned to help the girl off Fire. When he tried to put her down, she wrapped her arms firmly around his neck and gave him a look that said in no uncertain terms that he was going to carry her.

"We're gonna have problems, aren't we?" The Knight of Fire asked, matching her glare for glare. "You won't be pampered here, you know. You're gonna hafta work just like the rest of us."

"I can work just fine." She informed him before pillowing her head on his shoulder. "But you have to teach me first."

Rei, Ami, and a small crowd of refugees arrived, drawn by all the yelling, and stopped to stare. After the way Rath had behaved with the kids in the temple, nobody thought they'd ever see him willingly holding a child. The sight was so astounding, in fact, that it took Rei and Ami several seconds to realize just which child Rath was holding.

"_Chibi-Usa!_" Rei exclaimed with a gasp, running up to Rath and his burden. "Chibi-Usa, you're alive!"

"'Course I'm alive." Chibi-Usa said, blinking at Rei. "And I'm a hostage, too, and Rath is my keeper."

"Hey!" Rath protested. "When did we decide _that_?"

"Right this very minute." Chibi-Usa informed him. "Someone's gotta watch me and make sure I don't run away, right? 'Sides, you kidnapped me, so you _hafta_ stay with me. Those're the rules."

"Suddenly, there are rules for kidnapping." Rath told the air around him, venting a put-upon sigh. "Fine then, but you have to do everything I say, 'cause I'm in charge. _Those_ are the rules, too."

* * *

_I am _so_ sorry it took so long to get this chapter out!_

_You've probably all forgotten this story, anyway. Yup, it's quite likely that not a soul is going to read this update. I hope that's not the case, though, 'cause that would make me really very sad, and I can't write if I'm sad._

_So if you don't want me to be sad and not write for any of my stories, please review for this one._


	3. Master Starts Losing Minions

To Gallantmon of the Hazard- Hai, Mamoru is the mysterious evil guy with the masked servants. No, he did not do it of his own free will. I mean, seriously, do you _really_ think he could willfully hurt Usagi? Not a snowball's chance in Hell, my friend. Of course you can use the masks in your stories! Thank you for asking first, though. Can I have a link to your stuff there? I'm afraid Mediaminer and I haven't gotten along at all since they dropped that one fic for being NC-17. Good luck to you, too!

Chibi-Usa took a bit of getting used to. She tried hard to help out, but she had a tendency to wander off with her task half-finished, and she was apparently very used to privacy and privilege.

* * *

Bit by bit, with the help of a few spankings and one skipped dinner, Rath managed to wear away at her stubborn refusal to do anything more than she wanted to do – pick up a bit, play with Fire and Water, and snoop. Of course, all this disciplining and teaching meant Rath didn't have much time for anything else, which meant Rune had to do most of the defending, and defending made Rune cranky.

"Rath-sama, I'm tired." Chibi-Usa complained with a pout. "Can we stop now?"

"No," Rath said almost absently. "We can't stop until we're done. Gimme the hammer, will you?"

Chibi-Usa sighed theatrically and did as she was told, then sat back and watched Rath finish up the repairs to the temple wall.

"Rath-sama, why are we fixing the wall?" She asked. "Aren't you a warrior?"

"Yeah, but no amount of fighting's gonna make this hole fill in." Rath told her. "You do what you're good at, kiddo. And why do you keep calling me Rath-sama?"

"D'ya want me to call you Rath-sensei instead?"

"Depends on what _sensei_ means," Rath said. "I'm still getting used to this Japanese stuff."

"_Sensei_ is teacher, and _sama_ is a term of deepest respect." Chibi-Usa said. "_San_ is also respectful, but not as much as _sama_. _Kun_ is what you call a friend, _chan_ is what you call a good friend, and _sempai_ is your superior in the workplace or at school. I don't have any _sempai_s."

"Why can't you just call me Rath?"

"Because, silly, if I just called you Rath, you'd have to be my bosom buddy and very bestest friend, my equal in every way."

"I'm your only friend, right?"

"Yeah," Chibi-Usa said with a sigh, kicking a stray rock.

"Then that makes me your very bestest friend. Call me Rath."

* * *

Sea and Sky regarded Sailor Pluto from behind their masks, perhaps wondering why it was taking her so long to die. Fact was, Sailor Pluto was dying faster than she was letting on. Not wanting to kill your opponents when they were trying to utterly destroy you could be a distinct handicap.

"You shouldn't have meddled, Pluto." Sky said, her midnight blue mask preventing Pluto from seeing more than the white drops splashed across it. "Master would have been content to let you live, if you hadn't meddled."

"Master must be kind," Pluto said sarcastically. "Exceedingly so, to make such a loyal slave out of you, Uranus,"

"Uranus is no longer my name," Sky said coldly. "She is dead, and will never return."

"Have you been blessed with the ability to see the future, _Sky_?" Pluto asked sarcastically. "Has Master granted you my power, too?"

"Master has changed us for the better." Sea interrupted. "Do not mock him."

"I will mock whomever I please, Sea." Pluto said coldly. "This Master of yours deserves no better, and as one who _can_ see the future, I can tell you that he will fall. Serenity-hime will rise again, and the evil that controls you will be destroyed."

"Master will reign forever, witch!" Sky yelled, hurling an orb of dark power at Pluto.

Pluto dodged it, but doing so put her in the path of Sea's attack, with no time to dodge again. Unable even to close her eyes, she saw her own death.

It seemed that death wasn't ready to claim her yet. That, or the gods loved her more than she'd thought, because someone picked her up and moved her out of harm's way with only half an instant to spare.

"Are you all right, Setsuna?"

"T-tetheus?" Pluto stared at her rescuer, hardly believing he was really there. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Later," Tetheus said, pulling his sword and setting Pluto down in one swift, smooth motion. "After the fight,"

"Of course, dearheart," Pluto said, adjusting her grip on the Time Staff. "I'll make you some tea."

* * *

As the only warrior currently in the stronghold, Death bore the brunt of Master's wrath.

Not only had the upstart warrior-boy escaped without anyone the wiser, he'd also managed to steal away Master's child. The loss of Fire and Hate had angered Master, but the loss of Chibi-Usa enraged him, and he blamed Death for not stopping it.

As she did so often these days, Death wished she were dead. Only in the grip of the eternal rest she was named for could she hope to escape Master's punishments, and Master was fond of punishing his warriors. The only one to ever escape Master's anger was Thunder, for Thunder was too precious for Master to damage.

Death envied Thunder her safety, but not her task. Ever since Master rose to power, Thunder had not left Master's castle. Thunder served as Master's personal servant and bodyguard. Master would trust no one else, not even his other warriors, so close to him. Thunder was hard, harder than the others, and lived in enforced solitude. She was not even allowed to speak to Death and her fellow warriors.

If she looked up and to the right, Death would see Thunder, her half-mask the same dull, dead green as her armor, broken by black lighting bolts. She would see the indifference with which Thunder regarded her as she shivered in pain and terror before Master's throne.

"I should kill you," Master said softly. Was it only an illusion cast by hope, or had some of the anger drained from his voice?

"Yes, Master," She whimpered, for it was expected of her.

"I should flay the skin from your body, rip out your still-beating heart, and leave you for the vultures to eat."

"Yes, Master,"

"You are unworthy to serve me, Death, as you have proved twice over,"

"I am," Death moaned, praying that maybe this time he really would kill her.

"You deserve to die. I should name you a traitor and give you to my soldiers to deal with."

"Yes, Master,"

"I won't," Master said, dashing her hopes again. "Instead, I charge you with a mission. Find my daughter, and bring her back. Capture as many of these renegades as you can and kill the rest. Bring me back my warriors and my child, Death, or I shall see to it that you _never_ die."

Master dismissed her, and Death rose sobbing to her feet and fled.

* * *

"Thunder," Master said, smiling ever so slightly when Thunder snapped to attention and saluted him. "Follow her. If they turn her, kill them all. Bring Chibi-Usa back alive. The rest can rot for all I care."

"Yes, sire," Thunder said, saluting again before she turned and stalked to the small door behind his throne that led directly to his chambers and from there to the stables.

When she was gone, he sat back at ease. With Thunder gone, he might be more open to attack, but with all his warriors gone as well, there was no one in the castle that came close to his power. He was safe enough to muse.

He turned his attention inward, to his nearest and dearest prisoner. The former inhabitant of this body, Mamoru never ceased to amuse him. The poor human couldn't stand the things Master did with his body, and his anguish was the best amusement Master could find.

Today, they would replay the pain he'd inflicted on the Senshi when he made them his warriors, and the agony they'd endured merging with the Crystal shards he'd given them; Mamoru hated to hear them scream, hated that he was powerless to help them. The more Mamoru suffered, the more power Master drew from him.

* * *

Jupiter followed Death at a discreet distance, pacing the girl's movements with only half her mind on the job.

The armor and half-mask that made her Thunder, leader of Master's army and his personal bodyguard, were light and flexible, closely fitted to avoid hindering her in a fight. It also provided good camouflage in the dense greenery; only the left half of her face was not forest-colored, and it was only half a face.

It astonished her, sometimes, to think that having a shard of Serenity-hime's Crystal forced into her could make her the most powerful of the remaining Senshi. She could barely believe the luck that had allowed her to keep her own mind and will when Master had forced her mask on her as well. The masks controlled the others, turning them into nothing more than glorified war beasts that answered only to Master's will.

She eased carefully between two trees and caught a glimpse of an open area in front of her. If her memory wasn't faulty, they'd reached the part of Tokyo not overgrown, where a last handful of rebels made their stronghold. Her last hope of saving them all lay there, and she had to keep Death from reaching it first.

* * *

Sailor Pluto smiled wearily to herself as she removed Sea's mask. Pale from lack of sun but otherwise healthy enough, Sailor Neptune tossed fitfully in her sleep until Tetheus pulled Sea's mask off. Even unconscious, the two were amazingly close.

"I wonder how many more of my sisters I'll have to face in battle," She mused aloud, using the Time Staff as a crutch to help her stand. "I hope I don't have to hurt them too badly."

"Are you sure just removing the masks is enough?" Tetheus asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes," Pluto assured him. "The masks were how he controlled them. Sea and Sky are gone."

"If you're certain, I'll trust to your judgment," Tetheus said after a thoughtful pause.

"So serious, Tetheus?" She asked with a laugh. "Come, I'll make you that tea I promised, and we'll talk about what brings you here."

_

* * *

_

Yatte!

_I'm finally done! Stupid chapter. I'm sleepy now. I hate working._

_I have a job, so my already sporadic updates will become even _more_ irregular._


End file.
